Dusting tool for air-method cleaning systems



D. B. REPLOGLE March 19, 1935.

' DUSTING TOOL FOR AIR METHOD CLEANING SYSTEMS Fild Jan. 7, 1933 IHlHllllll llllllHllIll] 7 WW I 29%. 5. Replay/e Patented Mar. 19, 1935 1,994,873

"UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

DUS'lmG TOOL FOR AIR-METHOD CLEANING SYSTEMS Daniel Benson Replogle, Berkeley, Calif., assignor to Citizens Trust Company, Toledo, Ohio, a corporation of Ohio, astruatee Application January I, 1983, Serial No. 650,729 12 Claims. (CL 15-158) The invention relates to dusting tools designed dusting element in order to accomplish its greatior use in connection with so-called pneumatic est cleaning effect. Other objects or the invenor suction cleaning systems, particularly to airtion will appear from a consideration of the method systems or the type disclosed in my prior accompanying drawing and the further detafled Ii Patent No. 1,533,271, dated April 14, 1925, applidescription in which are set forth illustrative cation Serial No. 279,467, filed February 26, 1919. embodiments of the invention.

Systems of this .type are known commercially In the drawing, under .the registered trade-mark Air-Way. Fig. 1 is a side elevation partly in section show- The present application contains subject matter ing one form 01 the dustlng'tool applied to a in common with my prior application Serial No. suction pipe, and a skirted brush element ,in- 10 550,786, filed July 14, 1931, entitled Furniture serted in the mouth of the tool;

dusting tool and is in part a continuation there- Fig. 2 is an elevation of a brush element adaptof. This application also contains matter in ed to fit-in th y Portion of the t l, but not common with my application Serial No. 15,529, p vid with the pr tecting skirt;

l5 filed March 14, 1925; with my application Serial Fig. 3 is an elevation of a tube of soft flexible No. 297,969, filed Aug. 7, 1928, and with my apmaterial adapted to be combined with the brush plication Serial No. 525,008, filed March -24, 1931."- e ement of Fig, 2 in order to form a protecting In systems of this character the dusting tool shirt such as is shown in the combined tool in, is hollow in order to permit air to pass there- 1;

2 through, and constitutes in effect a-nozzle for the 4 is modification f Fi 3; cleane It will be understood that in accordance 5 isan elevation of a modified form or with the teachings of my aforesaid patent and brush element i ed w th a p tecti skirt application No. 550,786 any number of intermep tion. diate extension members may be interposed be- Referring particularly to 1 of he draw 2 tween the dusting tool and the source of suction, A denotes suetion p p nozzle c t tut and these individual members may themselves an element f a p rtable or stationary cleanin be used for cleaning, purposes and serve as 110 system. The 1102218 may be either round 01' fiat,"

zles. or of any other suitable shape. The element A Inasmuch as t dusting t is t be employed may constitute a detachable portion of the clean- 3 for cleaning furniture and the like, it is impor-r ing ste The reference letter B de th so. tant to avoid injuring the furniture, and accordb dy b p a dusting tool p bly omingly it is one of the objects of the present inven- Posed 0f h Other soft material. a d is e tion to provide the tool with a surface which adapted t Serve as a connecting mbe bewill not mar the object being cleaned. It is also tween the Suction P p hOZZle A and a detachimportant to confine the stream of air entering able dusting t- The body member B a as the tool to the tips of the brush, thereby insur- Shown is of the type disclosed ihimy prior '1 ing rapid movement of the air current .and Plication Serial 550.736, filed y producing a maximum cleaning efiect. i but may he the yp disclosed in my prior According to my invention I employ a body Patent 5% dated a y 7, 22. So 40 member composed preferably of rubber or other far as the broad features of the Present ihveh- 40 suitable material which serves as a connector tion are eolicel'hedw se the brush element between a detachable brush element and a suc- C may he of the general type Shown i my Patent tion pipe or nozzle, and provide a brush element 1,403,524, to which is pp d a ki t of with means detachably fitting the body member, soft material extending substantially to the tips and ith a i t or n composed of oft of the bristles, or according to the embodiment 45 terial which will not mar the surface to be disclosed in h Present drawing ay be of the cleaned, and which extends to substantially the general type set forth in my pr r application 4 tips or the bristles or application elements of the Serial 550,786, in Which the bristles pp brush cation elements are secured within an annular Among th principal objcts bf th present i metallic channel member to which, in accord- 50 vention, therefore, are to provide a'dusting tool ance with the present invention, a protecting and which will be readily applied to the suction pipes confining skirt is applied. or nozzles of a pneumatic cleaning apparatus, Referring more in detail to the body member and to provide means to confine the incoming B, the same is provided with a passageway 10 air substantially to the tips of the bristles or the extending therethrough, and provided with a 55 reduced throat intermediate its enlarged ends 12 and 13. The end 12 is shaped to provide an enlarged portion opening into the main passageway adapted to receive the pipe or nozzle A. Theend 12 may be made oval in cross section so as to readily cooperate withanozzle which may be either round or flat, as set forth in detail in my application Serial No. 470,511, flled July 24, 1930.- The opposite end 13 is enlarged to provide a mouth in which is mounted the brush C. Intermediate the ends is a cut-away or reduced portion 14 producing the restricted throat 11, and opposite the reduced portion is a longitudinally extending rib 15 which is preferably thickest opposite the reduced portion and isintended to prevent collapsing of the tool when pressure is applied during use. External reinforcing ribsare provided, one numbered. 16 at the end to which the nozzle A is applied and other ribs 17 and 18 adjacent the mouth portion.

Within the mouth of the tool are formed two flexible and resilient ribs or walls integral with the rubber body of the tool, providing between them a groove or pocket 21 which is adapted to receive an external flange of the brush element. Inapplying the brush element the walls or ribs 19 and 20 ,5 are distorted and forced apart or sprung by the flange of the brush element, and

are thus caused to grip the flange of the tool owbrush element.

ing to the resilience of the walls of the pocket.

A brush element such as is shown in Fig. 2 may be used with the body member, a skirt to be hereinafter described being applied to the As shown, the brush element comprises an annular channel member 22, preferably of thin' resilient metal, provided with an external flange 23 between which the bristles 24 are held in the manner set forth in my copending applicationSerial No. 550,786, the flange 23 being adapted to engage within the groove 21 in the mouth portion, of the body member. The dusting element may be manufactured in any bf the ways described in my application referred to above.

In Fig. 3 there is shown a tube designated by the reference numeral 25, which is composed of soft flexible material, preferably rubber, although leather or cloth may be used. The tube is folded over the brush element shown in Fig. 2, forming inner and outer skirts 26 and 27, both of which extend substantially to the tips of the bristles, asshown in the assembled view in Fig. 1. It will be noted that a portion of the tube extends over the metallic flange 23 of the annular channel member in which the bristles are secured, and this portion of the tube will be engaged within the groove 21 of the body member of the tool, being held in position by the annular metallic flange 23.

In Fig. 4 there is disclosed a modification of the tube in'which, instead of employing a single member, a composite tube is employed consisting of end portions 28 and 29 composed of resilient material such as rubber or the like and an intermediate portion 30 of cloth which is intended to extend over the flange 23 of the brush. The purpose of employing this intermediate cloth section is to produce a better flt between the dusting element and the body of the tool, it being m m; 5 there is disclosed a-brush element sumlartothatshowninFlg.2,towhichaskirt3l is secured in any suitable manner as by glueing or the like. The skirt extends around the lower portion of the brush only and-not about the external flange. This skirt may be formed of any suitable material, preferably resilient and flexible, as for example, rubber, or a leather or cloth skirt may be employed without departingfrom the broad features of the invention. An inner skirt 32 may be likewise employed, if desired. or may be omitted without seriously detracting from the effectiveness of the brush element.

It will be noted that in the various modifications of the invention the skirt is of soft material which will not mar the surface being cleaned, and is of sufllcient stiffness and length to confine the entering air substantially to the tips of the bristles 24. Either a single or a double skirt may be employed. Where a single skirt is employed it is preferable that the same be mounted on the outside of the bristles, rather than on the inside.

As previously explained, the skirt may be applied to a brush element of the type shown in my Patent No. 1,403,524, wherein the bristles are embedded in a body of hard material such as wood, gutta percha or the like, which is grooved to receive a rib formed cn-the body member of the tool, or the skirt may be applied to a brush of the type disclosed in my application Serial No.

550,786, wherein the bristles are supported within a flanged'metallic channel member. In each instance the function of the skirt is to soften the tool so as to prevent marring'of furniture and to confine incoming air currents to substantially the tips of the bristles or to the proximity of the point of contact of the agitating brush with the surface to be cleaned.

The tubes disclosed in Figs. 3 and 4, from which the protecting and confining skirts are to be formed, may be rapidly cut from much longer tubes. Inthe case of the composite tubes shown in Fig. 4, a long composite tube may be initially formed by uniting successive strips of rubber and cloth and forming the same. into a tube. which is then cut into successive lengths, each length including a cloth strip intermediate two rubber strips. 1

What I claim is:

1. A brush for a suction cleaner, comprising a hollow annular metallic backing provided with an integral hollow bead for attachment to a corresponding groove in a body member, bristles carried by the backing and projecting therefrom, and a flexible non-metallic skirt carried by the backing and extending substantially to the tips of the bristles of said brush.

2. A brush for a suction cleaner, comprising a hollow annular metallic backing provided with an integral hollow external bead for attachment to a corresponding groove in a body member, bristles carried by the backing and projecting therefrom and a flexible non-metallic skirt carried by the backing and having internal and external portions extending substantially to the tips of the bristles of said brush.

3. In a suction cleaner, a resilient nozzle having an annular recess formed therein provided with resilient walls, a metallic annular backing having a hollow annular bead sprung within said pocket and held by the resilience of said walls, an annular floor engaging application member carried by the backing and projecting therefrom, and a flexible non-metallic double skirt member carried by the backing and extending substantially to the tip of said application member, one portion of the skirt member being at the interior of the application member and one portion at the exterior thereof. I

4. A brush for a suction cleaner, comprising a hollow annular non-resilient backing having annular external means adapted to coact with complementary connecting means in a suction tube, bristles secured within the backing and projecting therefrom and a separate skirt member of soft flexible material secured to the backing externally thereof and extending substantially to the tips of the bristles.

- 5. A'brush for a suction cleaner, comprising a hollow annular non-resilient backing having external means adapted to coact with complementary connecting means in a .suction tube, an annular application member secured within the backing and projecting therefrom and a skirt.

member of soft flexible material carried by the backing and extending substantially to the tip of the application membensaid skirt member having portions at the interior and exterior of said application member.

8. In a suction cleaner, a nozzle having an annular pocket formed therein and having resilient walls, an application member sprung within the pocket and held by the resilience of said walls, and a flexible skirt portion extending substantially to the tip of said application member,

- said skirt being in the form of a flexible tube folded over the portion of the application member which fits into said pocket.

'7. A hollow cleaning attachment for a suction cleaner comprising an annular channel member having an external flange adapted to be detachably engaged in a corresponding groove in a resilient body member, an application element retained within the channel, and a skirt carried by the channel member and extending substantially to the tip of the application element, said skirt having a portion extending over the external flange of said annular member.

8. A brush for a suction cleaner, comprising a hollow annular backing provided with an external head for attachment to a corresponding groove in a body member, bristles carried by said back tially to the tips of the brush to confine the flow of air entering the brush to the proximity of the point of contact of the brush with the surface to be cleaned, said skirt being in the form of a flexible tube having a portion extending over the external bead and adapted to fit into the groove of said body member.

9. A hollow brush for attachment to a suction cleaning tool, comprising a ring member, bristles secured within the ring member, and a skirt of soft flexible material carried by the ring member and extending substantially to the tips of the bristles, said skirt comprising a flexible tube folded over the brush and extending internally and externally of the brush.

10. A brush as set forth in claim 9, wherein the tube is formed of two sections of rubber connected by a cloth section adapted to extend over the top of the ring.

11. A hollow brush'for attachment to a su tion cleaning tool, comprising a ring member, bristles secured within thering member, and a skirt of soft flexible material carried by the ring member and extending substantially to the tips of the bristles, the skirt being adhesively secured to the ring member.

12. A hollow brush for attachment to a suction cleaning tool, comprising a ring member, bristles secured within the ring member, and a skirt of soft flexible material carried by the ring member and extending substantially to the tips of the bristles, said skirt being double and comprising a pair of skirt members adhesively secured to the inner and outer surfaces respectively of the ring.

DANIEL BENSON REPLOGLE; 

